PHOENIX, May 22, 2013— After 60 years of developing talent and educational resources for workers in the hospitality industry, the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI) today announced plans to partner with the University of Phoenix® to expand academic opportunities for hospitality professionals.
 
The partnership will help EI students leverage their EI training and professional certifications to further their post-secondary education, an increasingly important step for those looking to advance in the hospitality industry. University of Phoenix and EI have also formed a Credit Recommendation Guide (CRG) learning assessment tool for EI’s courses. With the CRG, incoming students who have taken EI courses and training programs, achieved hospitality professional certifications, or completed community college courses could qualify for college credit toward their undergraduate degree at University of Phoenix.
 
The announcement includes the first installment of a report on developing talent and increasing the pipeline of career-minded hospitality professionals. "Building Hospitality Talent: Recommendations from Industry Leaders" summarizes insights from a December 2012 Talent Development Roundtable hosted by EI and University of Phoenix. The report identifies 10 components of workforce development that highlight education and training needs in the hospitality industry. To request a copy of the report, contact [email protected].
 
"When EI was founded in 1953 at Mississippi State University, the sector's leaders made an industry-wide commitment to align training, talent development, and learning certification with postsecondary institutions," said George Glazer, senior vice president of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. "Now, 60 years later, we're still partnering with the country's leading colleges and universities. University of Phoenix brings flexibility and scale to our professional development pathways. For today’s hospitality talent – whether workers learning entry-level skills, or seasoned professionals earning general manager certifications — we're prepared to promote best practices that will benefit employees, companies, and the industry throughout this vital part of the American economy."
 
"Retaining qualified employees remains a challenge for all industries, but the opportunity is especially pointed today for the leisure and hospitality sector, expected to add more than 2.1 million jobs by 2021, according to U.S. government projections," said Dr. Tim Welsh, senior vice president of the University of Phoenix Industry Strategy Group. "We are gratified to partner with EI — an institution built on sharing best practices between industry and academic leaders — and to help align curriculum development, certification, and career services with our expertise in distance learning and training."
 
Future joint roundtable events and the next installment of research findings will focus on talent development strategies for a diverse range of service levels, and will help to pinpoint the skills and competencies required for emerging roles within the hospitality field.
 
The nationwide skills gap — the discrepancy between the skills that employers require and the skills that employees possess — has become increasingly evident in recent years. To learn about University of Phoenix’s efforts to address the skills gap evident in the hospitality industry and beyond, visit apollogrp.edu/workforce.

About the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI)
Established in 1953 as a nonprofit educational foundation of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the Educational Institute’s mission is to continue being the preferred provider to the lodging industry, hospitality schools, and related hospitality industries by developing and providing quality resources to train, educate, and certify hospitality professionals worldwide. For more information, visit www.ahlei.org.

About University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix is constantly innovating to help working adults move efficiently from education to careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant and engaging courses, and interactive learning can help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. As a subsidiary of  Apollo Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: APOL), University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. For more information, visit www.phoenix.edu.